Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Should Cigarettes Be Produced Illegal

Should Cigarettes Be Made Illegal?

Nonsmokers and reformed former smokers are considered to be on the forefront of working hard to convince establishments to usher in smoking bans. The more hardcore organizations of these nonsmokers want to see cigarettes made illegal across the United States. At the heart of their reasoning is the understanding that cigarettes have no redeeming qualities but even in the best of circumstances are considered to have adverse effects on the smoker and those around her. Moreover, since cigarettes make smokers ill and are implicated in numerous deaths, organizers reason that they should be made illegal.

Misconceptions

It is a common misconception that only nonsmokers and former smokers support making cigarettes illegal in the United States. A petition at the Petition Spot website also lists signatures of self identified current smokers who hate the habit but cannot give it up. To them, making cigarettes illegal will forcibly wean addicts off the cigarettes. Another group that is represented at the petition site consists of minors who live in smoking households.

Significance

The movement to have cigarettes declared illegal is a significant stepping stone at pitting the government's mandated protection of its citizens against the individual's constitutionally guaranteed right to self determination and the pursuit of happiness. Proponents argue that since a variety of narcotics were made illegal because of their potentially deadly effects, it only stands to reason that tobacco products should also fall into this category. Opponents believe that in many cases even the narcotics legislation is an overstepping of governmental boundaries.

Benefits

The benefits of making cigarette smoking illegal are obvious: no one will be inhaling harmful carcinogens that may expose them to lung cancer and other illnesses. Secondhand smoke will cease to place children and nonsmoking family members and friends in harm's way. Lit cigarettes left unattended will no longer cause house fires, killing residents or destroying their homes and property. From a societal point of view, the elimination of health care costs for uninsured smokers no longer force taxpayers to spend much needed funds on helping care for them when the cigarette habit finally catches up with them. According to the American Heart Association, there are currently 23.1 percent of U.S. men and 18.3 percent of U.S. women who would be affected by such legislation. Moreover, the American Lung Association estimates that 4.5 percent of U.S. adolescents are also cigarette smokers; if cigarettes were illegal, these children would not fall victim to the health hazards of tobacco.

Warning

On the other side of the argument are the tobacco industry and its supporters. They argue that---health considerations aside---tobacco used in cigarettes is the kind of commodity that is traded internationally and therefore an important crop for the United States. American politicians reason that the amount of tax money raised from the sale of cigarettes is crucial for the states and the federal budget. Losing out on this source of revenue, and also losing the jobs the tobacco industry creates, is beyond their scope of acceptable fiscal impact.

Theories/Speculation

It is noteworthy that the tobacco industry in the United States is not doing well financially. Lawsuit settlements are coming with a high cost, and it is debatable if American companies will continue to maintain their presence, or if the companies will eventually be owned by foreign business interests. This is further underscored by the sale of cigarettes online and the smuggling of cigarettes from lower tax venues to high tax locales. In addition, cigarette manufacturers are working to lobby in Europe for the legalization of smokeless tobacco, and it is only a matter of time before these efforts will also include the U. S. Congress in an attempt to have smokeless tobacco declared safe. This will effectively render moot the question if cigarettes should be made illegal.

Related posts

CigsCigarettes are one of the most popular selling products on the market, and they are manufactured all over the world. You can purchase cigarettes from the Philippines as well as from the United...Who Makes Doral Cigarettes?In 1969, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., introduced Doral cigarettes. According to R.J. Reynolds, the cigarettes were re-branded in 1984 as a savings brand, making Doral the...There are more than 400 reported possible cigarette ingredients. Tobacco companies are not required to give specifics of ingredients because of trade-secrets laws. Most ingredients found in cigare...Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemicals.Tobacco is not the only component of a cigarette. Tobacco manufacturers add more then 4,000 chemicals to cigarettes to enhance the flavor or give cigarettes...Since the data on the dangers of smoking is no longer in dispute, finding ways to quit has become a priority for more and more smokers. The habitual act of lighting a cigarette can sometimes be as...